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גָּרַר

𐤂𐤓𐤓

gârar

H1641 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To drag, draw, pull, or sweep along (often with force or roughness); in physical contexts, to move something or someone by force; by extension, to ruminate (of chewing cud), as seen in ruminant animals; by analogy, to saw, i.e., to draw a saw through material repeatedly. The verb encompasses both literal and extended senses such as dragging, drawing out or away, and repetitive, forceful motion.

Semantic Range

to drag, to draw off, to pull forcibly, to sweep away, to ruminate (chew the cud), to saw, to carry away, to destroy

Root / Etymology

From the root גרר, which conveys the idea of dragging or drawing along. The root action describes physical movement involving forceful or repetitive pulling, and from this primary sense the verb develops specialized uses such as ruminating (bringing up and chewing cud, i.e., drawing food from the stomach) and sawing (repetitive drawing back and forth of a saw).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, גָּרַר appears in narratives describing both literal dragging (e.g., dragging off a person or an object) and metaphorical or technical activities (e.g., cattle chewing the cud, an act involving the drawing up of previously swallowed food, or the motion of sawing wood or other materials). In Levitical and legal contexts, it is notably used to identify animals that are ruminants versus those that are not. The word's range extends to destructive or forceful removal (dragging away forcibly, which can imply destruction or defeat in warfare or conflict). English translations often select 'drag,' 'draw away,' or 'chew the cud,' but may not capture the nuance of repetitive or continuous action. The metaphorical extension to 'sawing' is less common, but attested by the form and function of the verb. Meaning distinctions are generally stable across biblical periods, though in Second Temple Hebrew, the primary sense remains unchanged.

Translation Consistency

primary "drag" 2 occurrences

The primary and most natural sense of גָּרַר is forcible pulling or drawing along (to drag, sweep away). "Drag" captures the core physical meaning and works for figurative extensions (draw off, carry away, destroy) better than rarer senses (chew, saw). It is simple, natural English and will yield consistent, readable renderings across contexts.

Alternatives (3 occurrences):
"chews" (1x) "sawed ones" (1x) "whirling" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to drag off roughly; by implication, to bring up the cud (i.e. ruminate); by analogy, to saw; catch, chew, [idiom] continuing, destroy, saw.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גרר (g-r-r) — to drag, to draw, to pull, to move forcibly

Root גרר to drag, to draw, to pull, to move forcibly
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1620 גַּרְגַּר round berries
H1621 גַּרְגְּרוֹת your throats
H1625 גֵּרָה regurgitated cud
H1626 גֵּרָה scraped weight-unit
H1627 גָּרוֹן in their throat

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1641-02 מִתְגּוֹרֵ֑ר mitegorer HVrrmsa whirling one dragging himself along whirling 1
H1641-03 יְגֹרֵ֣/הוּ yegorehu HVqi3ms/Sp3ms he drags it he drags him he drags it 1
H1641-04 יְגוֹרֵ֑/ם yegorem HVqi3ms/Sp3mp will drag them away he will drag them will drag them 1
H1641-01 מְגֹרָר֥וֹת megorarot HVMsfpa sawed forcibly dragged ones sawed ones 1
H1641-05 יִגָּ֑ר yigar HVNi3ms chews he is dragged chews 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1641-05 Leviticus 11:7 יִגָּ֑ר yigar HVNi3ms chews he is dragged chews
H1641-01 1 Kings 7:9 מְגֹרָר֥וֹת megorarot HVMsfpa sawed forcibly dragged ones sawed ones
H1641-02 Jeremiah 30:23 מִתְגּוֹרֵ֑ר mitegorer HVrrmsa whirling one dragging himself along whirling
H1641-03 Habakkuk 1:15 יְגֹרֵ֣/הוּ yegorehu HVqi3ms/Sp3ms he drags it he drags him he drags it
H1641-04 Proverbs 21:7 יְגוֹרֵ֑/ם yegorem HVqi3ms/Sp3mp will drag them away he will drag them will drag them
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